I didn't lose my cool, says Latham

Opposition Leader Mark Latham - who is just one point behind John Howard as preferred prime minister in the latest poll - today insisted he did not lose his cool when he shouted in parliament that Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer was a "lousy rotten disgrace".

Mr Downer hit back saying Mr Latham had been exposed as "a man with an explosive temperament just beneath the surface" and therefore "somebody who does not have the temperament to be the prime minister".

But Mr Latham described yesterday's outburst as "trying to stand up for a good man" - Australian Federal Police commissioner Mick Keelty.

At the time, Mr Latham was attempting to censure Prime Minister John Howard over the apparent muzzling of the AFP chief.

The Newspoll in today's Australian newspaper gives Labor a clear lead of 55 per cent of the two party preferred vote against 45 per cent for the coalition.

Sixty-six per cent of poll respondents say they are satisfied with Mr Latham's performance while Prime Minister John Howard's approval rating is 53 per cent.

However, Mr Howard retained a slight edge as preferred Prime minister (43 per cent) against 42 per cent for Mr Latham.

Labor's primary vote continues to rise and now stands at 46 per cent compared with 41 per cent for the Coalition.

Mr Downer said the government's standing in the latest poll to be just middling.

He said the government had done better and worse in past polls but the important things was to keep on governing.

"The important things for a government is to govern, not to be driven by opinion polls," he said.

Labor environment spokesman Kelvin Thomson told reporters today that the poll showed: "Our car is being driven by Michael Schumacher and their car is being driven by Mr Magoo."

World Champion Formula One driver Michael Schumacher posted his second win of the season at the weekend when he won the Malaysian Grand Prix while the short-sighted cartoon character Mr Magoo famously had troubles driving his car.

Mr Thomson said Spaniards threw out a government prepared to use national security for its own political purposes and accused the Australian government of doing the same.

"It's misled the Australian people concerning weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, it's now been carpeting (AFP Commissioner) Mick Keelty for stating the bleeding obvious, that our involvement in Iraq has made Australia more of a terrorist target, that it precisely what two-thirds of Australians believe," Mr Thomson said.

But he was cautious in predicting Labor would win this year's federal election.

"We remember well back in 2001 that we were well in front and it all ended in tears in 2001," Mr Thomson said.